City & Country Pest Control, Toronto’s Leading Pest Control and Wildlife Removal Company, Warns of Major Pharaoh Ant Threat as Weather Cools Down

City & Country Pest Control (www.cityandcountrypestcontrol.com), the leader in residential, industrial, and commercial pest eradication and humane wildlife and bird removal, warns of a major pharaoh ant threat as weather begins to cool down in the Greater Toronto Area.

“Even though the Greater Toronto Area continues to enjoy the warmth of the summer, the nights are starting to feel a little cooler. Unfortunately, pharaoh ants, like all insects, are cold-blooded and prefer the warmth, huddling together in their colonies and wait for warmer weather,” says Horacio Parreira, owner of City & Country Pest Control. “The closer we get to autumn, the more apt pharaoh ants across the Greater Toronto Area are to move indoors.”

“Unfortunately, dealing with pharaoh ants can be very frustrating. For starters, they’re quite small, just 1.2 to 2.0 millimetres in length. Because of that, pharaoh ants can easily spread within a structure, spaces around walls, cabinets, curtain rods; virtually anywhere This makes it difficult to find the nests,” Horacio observes. “On top of that, colonies can be huge. Typically founded by a single queen, when colonies get too big or threatened, they divide and make satellite colonies with multiple queens. This is another reason why it’s difficult to get rid of pharaoh ants; there is often more than one nest.”

According to Horacio, thanks to the abundance of food sources in the Greater Toronto Area, pharaoh ants can be found virtually anywhere: in residential homes, multi-family buildings, hotels, condominiums, warehouses, grocery stores, and even hospitals. While pharaoh ants like to eat insects (dead or alive), they also like to feed on a variety of domestic food, especially fats. To make matters worse, pharaoh ants also have a sweet tooth, and will not pass up toothpaste or soaps.

Aside from being a nuisance, pharaoh ants can also cause actual property damage, Horacio explains. It is not uncommon for pharaoh ants to chew the insulation of electric cables, or cut holes in rubber goods and fabrics to build nests. Despite their small size, pharaoh ants can also inflict a disproportionately painful sting, Horacio points out.

“Proactive measures for keeping pharaoh ants at bay include keeping foods in sealed containers and areas free from spills and crumbs. It can also help to seal cracks and crevices where ants might gain access to a structure or want to live,” Horacio notes. “However, the best way to deal with a pharaoh ant problem that is out of control is to call a professional pest control company. At City & Country Pest Control, we provide effective solutions and measures to provide residential, commercial, or industrial property owners a safe and pest-free environment.”

Fully licensed by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and fully insured, City & Country Pest Control has been successfully providing pest eradication and humane animal and bird removal for residential, commercial, and industrial clients since 1989. Serving clients in the GTA, Golden Horseshoe, Southwestern Ontario, and all of Durham region, City & Country Pest Control prides itself on its quality work, personalized customer care, effective and proactive pest control programs; and exceeding its customers’ highest expectations.